Shelf-bracket.



PATENTBD MAY '7, 1907.

J. H. MORGAN. SHELF BRACKET. APPLICATION FILED MA 20, 190a.

cn., WASHINGTON. n. c.

NITE STATES PATENT FFTOE.

STAMPING COMPANY, LIMITED, OF LONDON,

TION OF ENGLAND.

ENGLAND, A CORPORA SHELF-BRACKET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented May '7, 1907.

Application filed March 20,1906. Serial No. 307.028.

T0 on whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN HENRY MORGAN, a subject of the King of GreatBritain and Ireland, residing at The Grange, Harlow Oval, Harrogate, inthe county of York, England, have invented new and useful Improvementsin Shelf-Brackets, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in brackets used for supportingshelves and for like purposes for which such brackets are employed.

Hitherto brackets formed out of rectangular shaped pieces of metal havebeen liable to break at the angle or corner where they are bent at aright angle, to form wall and shelf plates, hereafter termed verticaland. horizontal arms. The outer portions of the web or strengtheningribs in such brackets have hitherto been made parallel with the flangedsurfaces of the horizontal and vertical arms of the bracket, and at thepoint where the two portions of the web or strengthening rib overlapeach other a single rivet has been employed to prevent the portions thatoverlap each other splaying outward. The said rivet in practice acts asa fulcrum, and permits the horizontal arm to move when a shelf or otherweight is placed upon it, thereby causing the outer portions of theoverlapping web at their point of contact with the flange portions ofthe vertical arm to turn outward, and to allow the bracket to collapse.To prevent this collapsing of the brackets braces arranged in variousways have been used. The braces are not only difficult to fix in position, but they add to the weight of the bracket and make it morecumbersome to handle and pack. Further, the brace is frequently in theway when shelves are arranged one above the other, and of the goods orarticles placed thereon.

The object of this invention is to construct or form ashelf bracket bystamping and bending out of a suitable shaped. single piece or blank ofsheet metal of an elongated diamond shape; or the bracket may be formedout of a blank after its wall and shelf plates with their flat flangesand closed strengthening webs or ribs have been formed. The said flatflanges are afterward respectively made to taper whereby they assume theform of an elongated diamond shape. Brackets so constructed are lightand perfectly strong, and

the use of a brace is dispensed with, and the closed web or rib of thebracket is made to perform the functions of both brace and web.

This object is achieved by forming the web or strengthening rib to taperfrom the outer end of the horizontal arm of the bracket to the upperportion of the vertical arm, and the said web or rib of the vertical armis made in a like manner to taper from its lower end to where it comesin contact with the horizontal arm. The web or rib is provided with aflat horizontal flange on each side thereof. By this means the twoportions of the web or rib,hereafter termed the tapering web, are thebroadest at the point where the two portions of the said web overlapeach other, and they are made of a sufficient breadth to providesufficient space to permit of at least two rivets passing throughthem,instead of one or four as hitherto ,for retaining the saidhorizontal arm rigidly in position whenever a great weight is placedupon the shelf. The brackets as hereinafter described can be produced ata very small cost, and permit in the case of shelves being placed oneabove the other of the articles or boXes being packed in entirecontinuity throughout the length of the lower shelf, as there is nobrace to come in contact with them and prevent it being packed into thespace occupied by such brace without breaking the line of packing.

It will readily be understood that a bracket with tapering flanges and atapering web may be constructed out of a rectangular shaped blank byfirst stamping the web and flanges and afterward cutting or trimming thelatter to the shape shown in the drawings. But this method would involvea great waste of material.

In the drawings hereunto annexed are illustrated a bracket constructedaccording to this invention.

Figure I. is a side elevation of a bracket provided with arms havingtapering flanges and a tapering web. Fig. 2. a plan of the same. Fig. 3.an enlarged transverse elevation on lines 1, 2, Fig. 1, Fig. 4. is aplan of an elongated diamond shape blank of sheet metal drawn to thesame scale as Fig. 1. out of which the bracket with arms having taperingflanges and web, is formed. ig. 5. a longitudinal elevation of the sameblank nature undergoing the first operation for forming the taperingweb. Fig. 6. a sectional bent.

elevation on line 3, 4, Fig. 5. Fig. 7. a transverse section of oneoperation. Fig. 8. a longitudinal elevation of the blank after it hasundergone the second and third operations for forming the taperingflanges and shearing the tapering web at the point at which it is Fig.9. a sectional elevation on lines 5, 6 Fig. 8. Fig. 10. a plan of theblank as it appears when ready for the bending operatlon.

To form a bracket with vertical and hori zontal arms having flattapering flanges projecting from each side of and provided with atapering closed preferred to use a flat elongated diamond shaped blank aof sheet metal, such as shown at Fig. 4, is employed which has beenpreviously,-but not necessarily so,---cut to shape by any ordinary andsuitable means. The length and width-at its widest and narrowest points,and the thickness of the blank will vary according to circumstances, butwhen made, say, of about 18 inches long by about 3 inches wide at itsbroadest point, and about an inch wide at the narrowest point, and of athickness of, say, 20 wire gage, satisfactory results may be obtained.Or a rectangular shaped blank may be used, and cut to the shape shown atFig. 4. after the stamping operation for forming the web and flanges hastaken place.

In some cases it is found preferable,-but .not necessarily so,--to cutor otherwise form a T shaped slot b at a suitable distance from the endsof the blank. Or the said slot may be cut in the web and the flatflanges formed. The vertical portion 1) of the said slot,as shown atFig. 4.,-is about one thirty-second of an inch in width, and in lengthit extends to the dotted lines a (1 so as to leave a margin for formingthe flat tapering flanges 6(Fig. 4) of the bracket. The width and lengthof the horizontal portion 6 (as shown at Fig. 4) of the slot is made tocorrespond with the thickness and depth of the tapering web f so thatthe latter will fit therein and rest thereon. The blank when the Tshaped slot has been formed therein is then,by meansof stainping,-foldedin a lengthwise direction in dies, say, along the lines g, 71, (Fig. 4)to form the closed tapering web f, as shown at Fig. 5. The lower portionof each side of the tapering web f is afterward bent outward, as shownat Fig. 9, along the dotted lines 0, cl, to form the flat taperingflanges upon which the shelf'i (shown in dotted lines at Fig. 1) rests.

Instead of forming or bending the elon-- gated diamond shaped blank asherein described, in some cases it will be found more advantageous tostamp the blank in dies centrally and longitudinally in the shape of a Vwith the portions forming the tapering flanges e arranged to projecthorizontally on each side of the V, as shown at Fig. 7. The V portion isafterward closed or squeezed toweb, as shown at Fig. 4, it is gether byany suitable means until it as sumes the form shown at Fig. 6. It willreadily be understood that when this latter process is employed, theelongated diamond shaped blank (1 is first made to assume the V shape,or it may be folded double in the first instance by stamping in dies ator aboutthe center of the blank along the dotted lines g, h, (Fig. 4) toform the tapering web f. When the doubling process is first done thetapering flanges would afterward be turned outward at a right angle. Thevertical slit 1) is first out prior to the doubling process takingplace, afterward the horizontal slit b is formed by removing a portionfrom. one part of the tapering web to form the step b as shown at Fig.8. Or when the T slot is first formed then such slot is out while theblank is flat, as previously described.

The blank having the tapering web f and flanges 6 formed by any of theabove described methods, the left hand portion Z (Fig. 10) of the blankis then bent or turned at a right angle at or about the dotted lines 1c,76, (Fig. 5) to form the horizontal arm of the bracket. arms of thebracket, respectively, form the wall and shelf plates. When the blankhas been so bent or turned the web of the said right hand portion willthen rest or repose in the slightly opened out ends of the slot 6 orrecess formed at b by removing a portion of The vertical and horizontalv the web, and it will be supported by the base of the slot thus formed.and by thevertical rear ends of the tapering web of the horizontal armof the bracket impinging upon the front face of the tapering flanges ofthe vertical arm. At the same time the upper horizontal ends of thetapering web of the vertical arm of the bracket are then inclosed within the said slot which do not project above the tapering flanges of thesaid horizontal arm. The two portions of the tapering web f at the pointwhere they overlap are at the widest part of the two portions of thetapering web so that the overlapping portion forms a stay which issecured to the broadest part of the tapering web of the vertical armsand the two parts are fastened together byat least two rivets m whichnot only prevent any movement of the two arms,when bent and secured inposition,taking place, but i they also act as transverse strengtheningpieces, and at the same time assist in preventing any breaking of thematerial forming the flat tapering of the flanges at the corner 71. Abracket thus formed, owing to its flanges and its closed web portionsbeing made to taper in the direction of their length and away from eachof the outer ends of the bracket, will resist all pressure arising fromleverage and torsional strain without the use of any additional braces.Holes j'are punched in the flanges for enabling it to be secured inposition by screws or nails as may be desired.

I am aware that the specification of a prior patent shows and describesa sheet metal bracket formed out of a single piece of sheet metalcomprising arms bent at a right angle to each other and with a roundcorner at the point of juncture, a tapering base to the strengtheningweb or rib and a rearwardly bent reinforcing flange extending entirelyround the arms of the bracket, and the same is hereby disclaimed.

I claim as my invention A sheet metal bracket formed from a singleelongated diamond shaped blank of which a tapering strengthening web isfirst formed by a longitudinal fold of the metal, the tapering portionsof the web being arranged to terminate at a transverse slit and a recessformed in one portion of the upper surface of the said web by removing aportion thereof, a flat tapering flange formed out of the blank on eachof each of the said flanges over at a sharp angle to the other portionfor enabling the web connected to the bent over flanges to overlap thetop of the web on the other portion and the portions of the web to beafterward closed together, and its ends to impinge upon the outersurfaces of the vertical flanges, and the means comprising twostrengthening rivets passing transversely through the widest portions ofthe web for preventing any movement of the horizontal arm when a plateis placed upon its upper surface as set forth.

JOHN HENRY MORGAN. As witnesses: l/VILLIAM SADLER, ANNIE PARK.

